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The Moments that Define Investor and Founder Relationships

This is going to be BIG.

In almost every single investment I’ve ever made, I can think of a singular moment in my relationship with a founder that, no matter what came before or what might come after, defined our relationship. The key to having difficult conversations with founders is setting expectations.

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The Founder Resolve

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

Investing in founder-led businesses is comforting to me. Investing in founder-led businesses is comforting to me. They have the ability to see the forest through the trees and do what is necessary to evolve the business. Two great examples of this are Microsoft in the mid 90s and Facebook a decade ago.

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Founder Led Companies

A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

I remember about fifteen years ago, a well-known VC said to me “you need to sell a company within a few years of the founder leaving. Companies can’t sustain their innovation after a founder leaves.” I have seen leadership teams take over great businesses from founders and get them to the next level.

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Introducing Trust, and the Importance of Product-Founder Fit

Both Sides of the Table

founders, marketers, investors?—?and As a VC, one of the key things I’m looking for in any new investor is “product-founder fit” e.g. does this founder have an insight or advantage that makes them uniquely suited to successfully build this product and business? Founders, marketers and growth leaders?—?join

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Driving the Dialogue: Questions These Female Founders Wish You Asked

Revolution

population, but in 2022, companies with solely female founders garnered just 2% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups. The long and short of it: Female founders face systemic barriers to founding, funding, and scaling their businesses. Women represent 50.5% of the U.S. That ticked up to 15.4%

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Announcing the Founder Support Fund

GAN

I’m excited to announce the Founder Support Fund. It’s an evergreen microgrant-making fund dedicated to supporting founders’ mental and emotional health and well-being. And many startup founders have been particularly affected by the stress and unknowns of this time. .

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The Founder and Investor Trust Problem: It's not what you think.

This is going to be BIG.

Founders seem to get that. Don’t get me wrong—I don’t mean trust in the sense that VCs think founders are just going to get a fake passport and move to Fiji, or that investors are secretly plotting to take over the company. Maybe that would be helpful for a founder to share: “I’m excited to have you as part of this round.

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